The present invention relates to a computer-based apparatus and method for inserting content, such as advertising, promotional materials or public service announcements or postings into transcripts, such as depositions, trial and hearing transcripts, and medical transcripts. As used in this application, the term “advertising” or “advertising materials” refers to all of these types of placements, among others. The invention has particular application to real-time transcription, which is the general term for transcription by, for example, court reporters using transcription machines and real-time text technologies to deliver text to computer screens substantially in real-time (i.e., within a few seconds of the words being spoken). Specialized software allows participants in, for example, court hearings or depositions to make notes in the text and highlight portions for future reference and search within the files for particular terms or phrases, among other features. If the proceeding is video recorded, the video can be synchronized with the text for playback. This type of transcription is becoming more commonly used as computer speed and software sophistication permit more and more accurate transcription using these techniques. As speech recognition software gains in speed and accuracy, it is anticipated that deposition, court and hearing transcripts will more commonly be prepared using direct speech to text software.
Many transcript fees including, but not limited to, deposition charges are normally based on a base fee per transcript page, plus extra charges for compressed transcripts, searchable indices, advance ASCII copies and the like. While providing enhanced utility, transcripts using these features are typically substantially more expensive than transcripts that are transcribed and later furnished after editing, proofing, etc. Therefore, in order to lessen costs associated with obtaining these transcripts, there is a need for a system of furnishing transcripts that generates revenue from third parties rather than charges solely to the transcript purchasers. Third party purchasers include, for example, litigation support providers, database providers such as Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw, bar and legal associations, law schools, and the like.
As more broadly envisioned, the system described in this application is not limited to any specific form of transcript creation by capturing spoken words, and anticipates future developments in the field as technology progresses. The system is particularly applicable for use with real-time feeds, i.e., text that is created simultaneously with spoken word and displayed on a screen, stored in digital memory and the like. For example, at a deposition, the resulting rough draft product being prepared in real time can be created with advertising inserted into the text as described in this application, and carried over to the final version of the transcript. Other opportunities include, but are not limited to steno-mask transcription, speech recognition, audio/video transcription, CART (“Communication Access Realtime Translation”), and medical transcription. The use to which the transcript is put or why it is prepared in the first place is not important, but instead the ability of a transcript provider to reduce costs to the end user by spreading part of the cost to third parties who see a benefit in advertising to target transcript users.
Additional features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present various embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.